19. The boys were raising a fund for a new flag. EXERCISE 4 PRONOUNCING TROUBLESOME VERBALS Many verbals end in -ing not all verbals, remember; nor are all words that end in -ing verbals. All depends on the meaning, of course. If you say "Reading, writing, and arithmetic were the only subjects taught in the early schools," reading and writing are not verbals any more than arithmetic is. Although they were originally derived from verbs, they have lost all their verb meaning and are here pure nouns, names of subjects of study. But the fact remains that many verbals end in -ing, a syllable which we are likely to clip in conversation. Verbals like those below have still another difficulty in pronunciation. Practice these and remember to pronounce they before adding -ing. Mistakes in spelling these words often come from carelessness in pronunciation. Use each in a verb phrase in a sentence. . EXERCISE 5 MAKING GOOD CONVERSATIONS FOR EVERYDAY USE If you really intend to improve your speech, you must do it not by adopting strange and difficult ways of saying things but by finding ways that are easy and natural - at least not too unnatural and at the same time right. There is a better and a worse way even of asking for the evening paper. The better way is direct, clear, grammatical; `the worse way is either wordy, or not clear, or ungrammatical, or all three together. Choose among the following ways: "Has the paper come yet?" ९९ Has the evening paper come?" ९९ Have you seen the evening paper?" or "Hasn't anybody seen the evening paper around anywhere, have they?" ९९ ९९ Say, Jim, do you know where the paper is at ?" Has the paper came yet?" "If the paper had of come, you would of brought it to me, would n't you?" "Where do you suppose that there paper can be at?" Is the evening paper anywheres around, do you know?" Do you enjoy pointed, natural conversation in a book? Is it better than most talk that you hear? Here is reproduced a conversation from "Little Women" about very commonplace matters. What makes it interesting? Is it well worded? natural? It is here cast in dramatic form; that is, it is put down with the name of each speaker before his or her speech, and explanatory phrases in parentheses, as if it were a play. After you have discussed it in class, decide on some ordinary situation among those suggested below, and each of you make an ideal conversation to be used in such a situation. Write these conversations in dramatic form and bring them to class, where perhaps it will be well to put some of them on the board. Try to decide which are the best ways of making some of the remarks that enter into these conversations and of asking the questions that would arise. Perhaps your ideal conversation will be a composite one, put together from those of all the class, and it may be preserved for the magazine. Rule 4. Use a comma or commas to separate from the rest of the sentence a name used in direct address. SCENE. The back yard of the March house, overlooked by the Laurence mansion. Jo is digging paths in the snow. At the Laurence house all is still; nothing human is visible but a curly black head leaning on a thin hand at the upper window. Jo. (To herself) There he is, poor boy! all alone and sick this dismal day. It's a shame! I'll toss up a snowball, and make him look out, and then say a kind word to him. (She throws up a handful of soft snow; and the head turns, the face loses its listless look, the eyes brighten, and the mouth begins to smile.) How do you do? Are you sick? LAURIE. (Opening the window, and croaking hoarsely) Better, thank you. I've had a bad cold, and been shut up a week. Jo. I'm sorry. What do you amuse yourself with? LAURIE. Nothing; it's as dull as tombs up here. Jo. Don't you read? LAURIE. Not much; they won't let me. Jo. Can't somebody read to you? LAURIE. Grandpa does sometimes; but my books don't interest him, and I hate to ask Brooke all the time. 1 Louisa M. Alcott, Little Women. Copyright by Little, Brown, and Company. Jo. Have someone come and see you, then. LAURIE. There is n't anyone I'd like to see. Boys make such a row, and my head is weak. Jo. Isn't there some nice girl who'd read and amuse you? Girls are quiet, and like to play nurse. LAURIE. Don't know any. Jo. You know us. LAURIE. So I do! Jo. I'm not quiet (She laughs and stops.) Will you come, please? and nice; but I'll come if mother will let I'll go ask her. Shut that window, like a good boy, and wait till I come.1 me. SUGGESTED CONVERSATIONS ON EVERYDAY MATTERS 2 1. You plan with two or three friends to improve each other's English. 2. You bring home a report card and exhibit it to your mother and father. 3. You and a friend decide to postpone going to the movies. 4. Three friends plan a country walk or a Scout hike. 5. You interview a friend of your father's to whom you have been sent on an errand. 6. Your employer has left you in the office to explain his absence and take messages; a stranger comes in. 7. You have trouble in ordering something over the telephone. 8. You talk over a desired purchase with your father. 9. You make inquiries concerning something you have lost. 10. You and an older brother, sister, or friend plan a surprise for some member of the family. 11. The family at table talk over the happenings of the day. 12. You apply for a job for Saturdays. 13. You talk over a lesson with a classmate. 14. A committee discusses ways of making the classroom more attractive. 1 This may be used for dictation, as good drill in contractions. 2 These may be acted if desired. PROBLEM XXIV TELLING A STORY IN CONVERSATION Learning to write conversation is not so important as learning to write letters, of course, but it is interesting and profitable as drill in composition; besides, it may help to improve your own conversation. There are some special matters of good form connected with this problem which many pupils never master, though these are not really difficult if once they are clearly understood. Probably many of the mistakes in these particulars come from carelessness. EXERCISE 1 STUDYING A STORY TOLD IN CONVERSATION A. Study carefully the conversation below, which tells an interesting incident, and discuss together the points suggested in this assignment. Then copy carefully the shorter speeches, thinking of the reason for each mark of punctuation, for doing so will help you in Exercise 4 and ever afterward. How is this conversation divided into paragraphs? Are explanatory parts written in separate paragraphs? Is each quoted sentence written as a separate paragraph? In the fifth paragraph who speaks? Why are all these remarks put into one paragraph? If you know Meg, Amy, Beth, and Marmee," can you guess who made each of these remarks ? |